EXPEDITION TO SURINAM, 271 



The barges, See. were ordered on the fame day to CHAP. 



• XI 



bring up provifions, and take down the Hck ; but at this ^1 ^ j 

 very time the whole camp was attacked by that dread- 

 ful diftemper the bloody flux, which is both infe£tious 

 and epidemical, and daily carried numbers to their grave. 

 An emetic^ or fome other medicine, adminittered at ran- 

 dom, were the only relief in our power, as there was not 

 a proper furgeon on the fpot, all of them being engaged 

 at the hofpitals in Comewina and in Paramaribo. 



The poor flaves were peculiarly unhappy, whoj as I 

 have ftated, having but half allowance, lived for months 

 on the produce of the cabbage-tree, feeds, roots, wild ber- 

 ries, &c. and to this circumftance may be attributed the 

 firll introduction of this dangerous difeafe into the camp. 

 So llarved indeed were thefe wretched negroes, that they 

 tied ropes or nebees about their naked bodies, which is a 

 pradice of the Indians when their abdomens are llirunk 

 with hunger, as they find by experience, or at leafl fancy, 

 that the pain occaiioned by want of food is relieved by 

 the compreffion» I, however, with a few others, efcaped 

 the infe6lion,. but I was laid up with a miferable- bad' 

 cold and fwelled foot ; which difeafe is called the cojifaca, 

 and is not unlike our chilblains in Europe, as it occa- 

 fions a very great itching, particularly between the toes,, 

 whence iifues a watery fluid. 



The negroes are very fubje6l to this complaint, which 

 they cure by applying the fkin of a lemon or lime, made 

 as hot as they can bear it,. 



I have 



